Apparatus for releasing horses.



PATBNTZ'D AUGA, 190a.-

I No; 895,199.

. c. 0. RICH.

APPARATUS FOR RELEASING HORSES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1907.

CHARLES CLAYTON RICH, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNO OF-ONE-HikLF TO HARRY J. DOUGLAS,OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YOR APPARATUS FOIFJK RELEASING HORSES.

. Specificationpt Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1568.

Application and July 12, 907. Serial No. 383,507. 1

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CHARLES CLAYTON RICH, citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of \Vestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for ReleasingHorses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in means for releasing horses, designed particularly for use in connection with the horses of fire fighting apparatus, although applicable as well for other uses, as is manifest.

The invention has for its object, a simple, durable and efficient construction of machine or apparatus of this character, and the invention consists in certain constructions, ar rangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novel fea ures in the ap ended claims.

or a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and of the means for effecting the result, referonce is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved horse detaching machine with the parts in set position; Fig. 2 is a face view of the apparatus with the parts in the position then assumed, after being tripped; and, Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the base plate of my improved horse releasing apparatus, the same being arranged for attachment to any support,

preferably in a vertical position. The base plate 1 is provided witn upper and lower guides or bearings 2 within which the drop bar 3 is mounted for vertical movement. To the lower end of the drop bar 3, a cord or cable 4 is attached, and a weight 5 is secured to the lower end of said cord 4. A branch 6 of the weight actuated cable or cord -4= is mounted to pass over a pulley 7 and is adapted to draw a bolt (not shown) on a distinct device. The apparatus, in the present instance, is designed particularly for releasing the horses in fire department service, and

i the weight actuated cable is adapted to withdraw the bolt of the stall devices or to release other parts, when the apparatus is brought into p ay. It is to be understood that the parts 4 and 6 maybe made of wire, or of chains, or other flexible connections and that the said cables may be arranged in any desired way, just so long as'they will release the bolt at the stall or other device, when permitted to do so by the falling of the dro bar 3. When said drop bar 3 falls, the $100k thereof is absorbed, preferably by a rubber buffer 8 supported on a lug 9\ formed on or projecting from the base plate 1, the said uffer and ledge being provided, with openings through which the cable 4 is designed to extend.

Under normal conditions, the dropbar 3 held in a raised position and for this purpose, the said drop bar is provided with a notch 10 designed to receive the nose 11 of a dog 12 which is pivotally mounted between its ends on the base plate 1 and which is pulled upon by a spring 12 in a direction to carry the nose 11 into engagcmcnt with the notch 10 when the dro bar 3 is raised. the dog 12 is designed to rest in a recess 13 of a detent lever 14 fulcrumed at 15 on the base plate and provided with a depending arm 16. This arm 16 of the detent lever is formed with a notch 17 normally out of registry with the lug 18 on the armature 19. When the said armature 19 is attracted by the energizat-ion of its magnet 20, the armature will be moved in a direction to bring the lug 18 in registry with the notch 17, so as to permit the detent lever to swing and release the dog 12 from the recess 13 of said detent lever. This releasement of the dog from the detent lever will permit the weight 5 to draw the drop bar 3 downwardly, the dog 12 tilting out of engagemcnt with the notch 10, asits rear end will no longer be held by the detent lever.

The electro-magnet 20 is electrically connected to the movable and preferably spring contact 21 of the automatic switch mounte in the base plate 1 and comprising, in connection with the movable spring contact 21, a relatively stationary contact 22. This latter contact is electrically connected to a tel minal 23 on the base plate and a battery '24,

The tail of or other source of electric supply has one of its poles connected to the terminal .23 and its other pole connected to a correspondmg terminal 25 on the base plate. This last of an. engine house gong.

operation of the device, the switch 2? 1s named terminal 25 is electrically connected to a switch contact 26 on the base plate, said contact being designed for engagement with the hand operated switch arm 27, the base of.

which is electrically connected to a terminal or binding post 28.

29 desi nates a complemental binding post which is edectrically connected with the other poleof the eiectro-magnet 20, and which is also designed to he connected by a push button or similar switch 30 to the terminal 25.

The terminals 2Q and 29 constitute the line terminals of the circuits, and it is intended that from these two terminals or binding posts wires be led oil to an external switch (not shown), which is closed with each stroke In the practical thrown over into contact with the terminal or contact 26. As soon as the engine house gong rings, itis obvious that the circuit through the electro-m'agnet will be closed, which will trip the apparatus and permit the drop bar 3 to fall, so as to release the horses through the instrumenta-lity of the cables and their connections. In addition to this releasing function, it is to be particularly noted that as soon as the dog 12 swings upwardly at its rear end to release the drop bar, it will simultaneously release its pressure upon the movable contact 21 of the automatic switch, thereby opening the circuit, and hold the circuit open, because the nose 11 of the dog will bear against the side of the drop bar and the tail of the dog will be held elevated. The purpose, therefore, of the automatic switch .21, 22 is at once apparent. In transmitting an alarm, which requires, say thirty-five strokes of the gong, which is an average, the first stroke will energize the magnet 20 and trip the machine, and were it not for the automatic switch 21, 22, the battery would be used and the electro-maguet 20 energized usclcssly thirt -four times. \Vhen the manual switch 27 is lifted out of contact with the terminal point 26, it is obvious that the operation of the external switch which is actuated by the gong, will have no effect whatever on the machine, be-- cause an open circuit exists at the switch lever 27. It is also evident that the push button 30 will release the machine whenever desired, regardles of the position of the other switches, or push buttons external of the machine.

From the foregoing description in connec tion with the accompanying drawing, it-will be seen that I have provided a very simple, durable and efficient construction of appa ratus for releasinghorses which operate etl'ecti'vely under all conditions of service and in which there is embodied an automatic switch which will open the actuating circuit and maintain the same open, as soon as the device shall have operated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of a gravity actuated drop bar, a dog designed to hold the drop bar in elevated position, a detent designed to engage said dog and hold it in an operative engagement with the drop bar, an electro-magnet. an armature for said magnet arranged to hold the d tent in operative engagement with the dog, and designed to release said dctent upon the attraction of the armature to the magnet, an electric circuit and source of supply therefor, the magnet being incorporated in said circuit, and an automatically opening switch in said circuit, said switchincluding a spring opening movable contact member with which the dog engages to close the circuit when the dog is in locking engagement with the drop bar, the movement of the dog to release position carrying the dog out of engagement with the movable contact member whereby to permit the switch to open.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a base plate, a gravity actuated drop bar mounted on said base plate, a dog fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on said base plate, the drop bar being provided with a notch, and the dog with a 'nose designed for engagement with said notch tovhold the drop bar in elevated rosition, a detent lever fulcrumed on the ase' plate and provided with a recess adapted to receive the rear end of the dog to hold the same in engagement with the drop bar, the detent lever depending from its fulcrum point and provided at its lower end with a notch, an electro-magnct, an armature for such mag net normally in the path of movement of the lower end of said detent lever and desi ned upon attraction to the magnet to register with said notch whereby to permit the detent lever to swing so as to release the dog, an electric circuit and source of suppl Y therefor, in which the electro-magnet is inciuded, and an automatic switch in said circuit, said switch including a spring-opening movable contact member with which the dog engages to close the circuit when the dog is in looking engagement with the drop bar, the movement of the dog to released positioncarrying the dog out of engagement with the movable contact member whereby to permit the switch to open- 3. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a base plate, hearings on said base plate. a drop bar mounted to move in said bearings, a weight and cable suspendcd from said'drop bar, a buffer adapted to contact with the lower end of the dro bar when the same is lowered, the buffer being provided with an opening through which the cable extends, a dog fulcrumed on the base plate and provided with a. nose designed to engage the drop bar to hold the same in elevated position, a detent lever fulcrumed on the base plate and arranged for normal looking engagement with the other end of the dog, thesaid detent lever depending from its fulcrum and provided with a notch in its lower end, an electro-magnct, an armature for said magnet, said armature being provided with alug normally in the'pat-h of movement of said detent lever and designed upon the attraction of the magnet to move into registry with the notch in the detent lever, whereby to permit the lower end of the lever to pass, an electric circuit in which the said electro-magnet is included, and a source of electrical supply therefor, and an automatic switch for said circuit, said switch (3111- bodying a relatively stationary member and a relatively movable spring member, the tension of said spring member being normally to open the switch, the dogholding said last named member at the switch in en agement with the relatively stationary member of the switch upon the locking engagement of the dog with the drop bar, and the drop bar in lowered position projecting into the path of the nose of the dog, whereby the said nose will bear against the drop bar after the actuation of the device to release said drop bar, so as to hold the dog out of engagement with the said switch member.

4. In an apparatus of the character de-- scribed, the combination of a drop bar, a dog designed to hold'said drop bar in elevated po.

895,199 iii armature to such magnet, and an electric circuit and source of supply therefor, the magnet 'being incorporated in said circuit, and means for-automaticallyopening said circuit upon the movement of the dog to the release position.

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a support, a bar mounted magnet arranged to hold the detent in opera.-

tive engagement with the'dog and arranged to release sald detent upon the attraction of the armature to the magnet, an electric circuit and source of supply therefor, the magnet being incorporated in said circuit, an automatic switch also included in said circuit and embodyin g a relatively stationary member and a spring member, the tension of which is away from the stationary member, said spring member being mounted in the path of movement of the dog to locking engagement with the bar and arranged to be pressed into engagement with the stationary member, whereby to close the switch, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CIIARLJS CLAYTON men. [r..s.]

Witnesses WILLIAM M. ANDERSON, MIL'roN Conn. 

